1. Cancer
It is one of the most common and dangerous
diseases of our time. It is the abnormal growth of malignant cells in the body.
It is believed that 1 in 3 people are susceptible to it. According to the
American Cancer Society, 7.6 million people died of cancer in the world during
2007. Sometimes, given the current inability of science to cure the most
aggressive types of cancer in advanced stages of evolution, it is preferable
give up curative treatment and apply palliative treatment that provides the
least possible degree of discomfort and leads to a dignified death.
From the 1990s and with the available
therapeutic techniques, cancer is curable in approximately 50% of diagnosed
patients.
2. Alzheimer's
Neurodegenerative disease of unknown causes. It is one of
the most difficult to deal with and deal with. It causes cognitive impairment,
behavioral disorders and memory loss. International Alzheimer's Day is
celebrated on September 21, date chosen by the WHO and the International
Alzheimer's Federation, in which activities to raise awareness and help prevent
the disease are held in various countries.
There are differences in incidence depending on sex, since
there is a greater risk of suffering from the disease in women, specifically
among the population over 85 years. For 2010, Alzheimer's Disease International
has estimated a prevalence of dementia of 4.7% worldwide for people 60 years of
age or older, representing upward figures compared to several previously
published studies (10% higher than those estimated for The Lancet in 2005).
The efficacy of anticholinesterase drugs that have an
inhibitory action of cholinesterase, the enzyme responsible for breaking down
acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter that is lacking in Alzheimer's disease and
that substantially affects memory and other cognitive functions) has been
proven.
3. AIDS
It was the disease of the twentieth century. Caused by the
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), it is an infectious disease with serious
consequences. Great advances have been made in medicine but the cure is not yet
known. At least it has been achieved that the disease is chronic. The chances
of a cure are certainly remote, so current research efforts focus more on
getting some type of vaccine that prevents new infections.
4. Lupus
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease.
It is unpredictable and can cause arthritis, anemia, skin rashes, etc. In
addition, it attacks specific internal organs such as the kidney, lungs or even
the heart.
Lupus occurs more commonly in Asians and Africans and is 9
times more frequent in women than in men. The first manifestations of the
disease are frequently observed between 15 and 44 years of age. Although there
is no cure so far, the symptoms are mainly treated with low doses of corticosteroids,
immunosuppressants and antimalarials such as hydroxychloroquine.
5. Diabetes
Generated by a metabolic disorder whereby the person has too
much blood sugar and does not produce enough insulin. A second type occurs
because the body offers resistance to the insulin produced. Diabetes mellitus
is not a unique pathology but a syndrome, which is why this denomination now
includes several different types of conditions but with a common
characteristic: hyperglycemia and its consequences.
By the year 2000, it was estimated that about 171 million
people were diabetic in the world and that they will reach 370 million in 2030.
This condition causes various complications, frequently damaging eyes, kidneys,
nerves and blood vessels.
World Diabetes Day is celebrated on November 14.
Diabetes mellitus was already known before the Christian
era. In the Ebers papyrus discovered in Egypt and dating to the fifteenth
century BC. C., symptoms that seem to correspond to diabetes are already
described. It was Areteo de Cappadocia who, in the second century of the
Christian era, gave this condition the name of diabetes, which means running
across Greek, referring to the most striking sign that is the exaggerated
elimination of water by the kidney, expressing that water entered and left the
diabetic's organism without noticing it.
6. Ebola
Hemorrhagic fever transmitted from primates to humans that
can be deadly. It is native to Africa and has a mortality rate of between 50
and 90% of cases. Within a week, a rash, often hemorrhagic, appears throughout
the body. Hemorrhages usually occur from the gastrointestinal tract, causing
the infected to bleed from both the mouth and the rectum.
The virus is alive in Africa. In 1976, about 85% of those
infected died.
Ebola virus has no cure and no specific treatment. The
treatment that is currently used is to maintain the person's life through
resuscitation methods (artificial respiration, avoiding CPR because the virus
is contagious through saliva) and control bleeding as much as possible. As for
a vaccine, investigations are carried out, but these are complicated because
all the proteins of the virus are not yet known and because there are only four
laboratories equipped to work with a virus like this.
7. Asthma
Chronic disease that can progress in severe stages. It
occurs in the lungs and inflames the airways. If you do not take proper
treatment, it can be fatal. Although asthma is known to be a condition caused
by chronic inflammation of the airways, the precise components of this
inflammation are still to be elucidated and their causes are uncertain.
In the last twenty years there has been an increase in its
incidence due in part to environmental pollution and its consequences, and
partly to the increase in the world population. For example, the World Health
Organization reported that 8% of the Swiss population suffered from asthma,
compared with only 2% 25-30 years ago.
8. Poliomyelitis
Viral disease that attacks the nervous system and can cause
total or partial paralysis. It mainly affects children between 5 and 10 years.
The disease was first described by the German Jakob Heine in
1840.
The World Health Organization declares that an area is free
of a disease when three years have elapsed without any case. In 1994, WHO
considered the Region of America (36 countries) free of polio, in 2000 it did
so with the Pacific Region (37 countries, including China). In 2002 the
European Region was declared.
WHO has stated that there are only four countries left in
the world where the disease remains endemic: Nigeria, India, Pakistan and
Afghanistan. If it is achieved, it will be the third infectious disease
eliminated from the face of the Earth. The first was smallpox, and the second
was the rinderpest.
9. Flu
It is very common and we probably all suffer at some point.
It is caused by a virus that affects the airways and is always mutating, which
makes us only control it for a certain time. There are treatments available
that focus on relieving symptoms, and also helping the body develop its
defenses.
The flu reaches its most prevalent peaks during winter, and
because the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere go through this
season at different times there are, in fact, two flu seasons every year: from
October to April in the northern hemisphere and from May to September in the
southern hemisphere. The exact reason for the flu to appear in those times is
unknown, but the reason is supposed to be that, due to the cold, people usually
lock themselves up in more closed places and interpersonal contact becomes
closer.
10. Common cold
It is the most common disease. After the cold, the patient
develops an immunity to the virus. However, due to the large number of viruses
that exist, we can get sick again. The common cold is caused by numerous
viruses (mainly rhinoviruses, coronaviruses and also certain ecoviruses and
coxsackievirus) that infect the upper respiratory system.
Contrary to popular belief, vitamin C does not reduce or
prevent disease symptoms.
The habit of smoking extends the duration of the disease
approximately three days on average. Sleeping less than seven hours a day has
been associated with a threefold risk of developing an infection when such a
subject is exposed to a rhinovirus, compared to those who sleep more than eight
hours a night.
